On Jan. 5, Kyle Rittenhouse—the teen accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during a protest in Kenosha, Wisc., last August over the police shooting of Jacob Blake—was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to two felony homicide charges and one felony charge of attempted homicide.
About an hour and a half later, Rittenhouse was seen at a Wisconsin bar with his mother. Surveillance video confirms Rittenhouse was also seen at the bar posing for photos with other white people throwing up a known “white power” symbol. Prosecutors are now seeking to have his bond conditions modified.
CNN reports that prosecutors have requested that the Kenosha County Circuit Court prohibit Rittenhouse from possessing or consuming alcohol, associating with the Proud Boys or other known white supremacists and publicly displaying signs, symbols or hand gestures that reference white power or white supremacy.
From CNN:
According to prosecutors, Rittenhouse was seen at a local bar with his mother about 90 minutes after the arraignment, and his presence and behavior were confirmed by surveillance video.
Rittenhouse was seen with other individuals flashing “the ‘OK’ sign, which has been co-opted as a sign of ‘white power’ by known white supremacist groups,” and was “directly served a beer by the bartender,” the motion said.
The document also states that Rittenhouse turned 18 this month and lives in Illinois. “Under Illinois law, it is a Class A Misdemeanor for anyone under the age of 21 to possess or consume alcohol in a public place,” the motion states.
In Wisconsin, however, it is legal for someone under the age of 21 to possess and consume alcohol if a parent is present.
That’s it: Kyle Rittenhouse is officially one of the whitest people ever.
Legal or not, I can’t think of a single Black mom in the history of negrodom who would take her teenage son to a bar fresh off of being arraigned on multiple murder charges. Then there’s the fact that prosecutors want new bail conditions to prohibit Rittenhouse from chilling with neo-Nazis and throwing up white power gang signs. None of this is surprising, it’s all just white as hell.
“The defendant’s continued association with members of a group that prides itself on violence, and the use of their symbols, raises the significant possibility of future harm,” prosecutors said in a motion, the Washington Post reports.
According to the Kenosha News, photos of Rittenhouse socializing with men identified as Proud Boys members at the Wisconsin bar first surfaced on social media last week. Police visited the bar amid online outrage over the photos, but they determined that Rittenhouse didn’t break Wisconsin law.
Prosecutors said in their motion that when Rittenhouse got to the bar, he was greeted with cheers by several people who “loudly serenaded” him with a rendition of “Proud of Your Boy,” which, according to the Post, is a “song originally written for Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ that has in recent years been claimed as an anthem by the Proud Boys.” Again, sounds about white.
The court has reportedly not scheduled a hearing to consider the prosecution’s request that Rittenhouse’s bond conditions be amended. The Post reports that he has a final pretrial hearing scheduled for March 10, and jury selection is scheduled to begin on March 29.